From time to time, we hear that some people who have food allergy may get their partner/carer/friend to taste their meal when eating out to check if it contains their allergen.
We DO NOT recommend this practice because many food allergens cannot be tasted in a food. Not tasting the allergen does not mean the allergen is not in the food.
People with food allergy must always read food labels when eating packaged food and disclose their food allergy when purchasing any food without a label.
Those with food allergy CANNOT ASSUME that because the allergen cannot be tasted that it is not present.
When eating out with food allergy, there are many strategies that can increase your chance of being served a safe meal that does not contain your allergen.
These include:
- ringing the restaurant ahead of the booking
- telling the staff when you arrive about your allergy and giving them this information in writing with a chef card
- choosing a suitable cuisine style (e.g. a seafood restaurant is not suitable if you have a fish/crustacean/mollusc allergy)
- eating when the restaurant is not busy
Remember to do another check with waitstaff when your meal is brought to the table.
Finally, after doing the above checks, when the meal is served, teens and adults can consider doing a TOUCH test themselves. Put a small amount of food on the inside of your lower lip, wait a few minutes, and see if any oral symptoms such as tingling in the mouth, burning, or swelling of the lip develop.
If you have symptoms, DO NOT EAT the food you have been given.
Remember, if you have been prescribed an adrenaline (epinephrine) injector (such as EpiPen®, Anapen®), do not eat unless you have your injector with you.
Eating out with food allergy
Eating out with food allergies can be a challenge – Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia has useful resources, information and advice to help you.